A new lawsuit has been filed alleging age discrimination by a major pharmacy chain. Diane Best, the plaintiff, lodged her complaint against Walgreen Pharmacy Services Midwest, LLC, doing business as Walgreens, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on October 16, 2024. The lawsuit accuses Walgreens of discriminatory practices based on age, harassment, and retaliation under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA).
Diane Best, a resident of DuPage County, Illinois, has been employed by Walgreens as a Pharmacy Technician since around 2010. At 72 years old, she claims to have faced discrimination due to her age beginning in February 2024. Despite renewing her pharmacy license and maintaining qualifications for her role, Best experienced a drastic reduction in her work hours—from full-time to just four hours per week by March 2024—and eventually was not scheduled at all after April 29, 2024. This significant cutback occurred while younger employees continued to receive regular hours without interruption.
Best repeatedly sought clarification from her manager regarding her work schedule but was met with vague responses such as "Check the schedule to see if you are scheduled this week." She also noted that other employees did not face similar scheduling issues and were consistently given work hours. In July 2024, after months without being scheduled for work and suspecting age discrimination as the cause of her reduced hours, Best formally complained to Walgreens' corporate office. The response she received suggested a "possible separation" from employment due to her absence since May—a period during which she had not been scheduled for any shifts.
The complaint outlines several counts against Walgreens: violation of the ADEA through age-based discrimination and harassment; failure to investigate Best's complaints adequately; and retaliation against Best for opposing unlawful discrimination by reducing her work hours further. As part of the relief sought from the court, Best requests back pay with interest, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages, loss of benefits compensation, reasonable attorney fees and costs, pre-judgment interest if applicable, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing Diane Best is Nathan C. Volheim from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., based in Lombard, Illinois. The case has been assigned Case ID: 1:24-cv-10472 but does not yet list any presiding judges.